Like so many other members of the Army team, the Combined Arms Support Command (CASCOM) and the Army Logistics University are continually being asked to do more with less. As part of this effort to improve processes with increasingly limited resources, CASCOM assessed the Army's need to continue producing Army Sustainment. Several courses of action were considered, including ceasing the bulletin's publication entirely. Ultimately, CASCOM decided that the best way forward is to maintain the publication with a reduced staff.
To continue to deliver important sustainment-focused content with limited resources, we will be making several changes that will directly affect our readers and contributors. We will reduce our publication frequency from bimonthly to quarterly, we will streamline and reduce our digital presence, and we will reduce the number of submissions we accept for publication.
QUARTERLY PUBLICATION
This January-March 2019 issue is the first issue to be published under the new quarterly schedule. Army Sustainment had been one of only a few professional bulletins across the Army still being published on a bimonthly basis.
Most Army professional bulletins have been quarterly publications for some time, and their staffs have found that a quarterly frequency still allows them to deliver timely, relevant content to their audiences and provide senior leaders with a direct line of communication to the force.
STREAMLINED DIGITAL PRESENCE
We will be reducing our digital presence, including our traditional website and social media channels. While the end state is still to be determined, my best guess is that we will have one primary webpage and at least a Facebook presence. Additional products will be determined as we move forward through this transition.
In the short term, there may be some turbulence as we figure out the best way to continue to provide an online experience that properly complements the print publication. We ask for the patience of both our readers and our contributors as we work our way through this transition.
REDUCED SUBMISSION ACCEPTANCE
For years, Army Sustainment has served as a medium for a variety of sustainment professional development information. We aim to continue to provide that service.
However, we will soon be operating with half the editorial staff. What this means is that we simply do not have enough editorial manpower for us to review and publish all of the great submissions we get from the field. We will have to publish fewer articles.
We will be more selective of the subject matter we accept. Previously, we published a number of articles online that were not included in the printed publication, and often the aperture for sustainment relevance and topical focus was rather wide.
With reduced capacity, we will have to narrow that aperture considerably. We recommend that our contributors regularly check our webpage for updated submission guidelines as we work through this transition.
By taking these measures, we hope to be able to continue to provide the Army's sustainment community with a high-quality professional development forum using the resources we have available.
For nearly 50 years Army Sustainment and its predecessor, Army Logistician, have served as the premiere professional development publication for the logistics and sustainment community. Our goal is to continue to fill that role by providing a forum for key leaders and Soldiers in the field and a resource that serves as a combat multiplier in the sustainment fight.
As we transition to a reduced staff and a new way of doing business, we welcome your input on what you find most useful and helpful about Army Sustainment so that we can make sure we place a high priority on the most valuable elements we bring to the table.
Please use the contact information either in our masthead or on our website to share your input. Our readers and contributors make Army Sustainment what it is. The editorial staff serves simply as a conduit for their expertise.
Many thanks from the staff here at Army Sustainment to our readers and contributors for making this the premiere source of professional development information on Army sustainment.
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This article was published in the January-March 2019 issue of Army Sustainment.
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